Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
This is a special song that the sons of Korah wrote for the music leader. Sing it to the music that they call ‘Lilies.’
A love song[a]
45 This beautiful song makes my heart very happy.
I will sing this special poem to the king.
My voice is ready to sing it very well,
as well as a clever writer can write with a pen.
2 You are the most handsome man that there is.
You speak kind words in a beautiful way.
And so God will continue to bless you for ever.
6 God, you will continue to rule as king
always and for ever.
Your authority as king will bring justice to your people.
7 You love people to do what is right,
and you hate anything that is evil.
So God, your God, has chosen you
to be greater than all your people.
He has put special olive oil on you,
to make you happy.
8 All your clothes have the beautiful smell
of myrrh, aloes and cassia.
You hear the music of stringed instruments
that comes from beautiful palaces.
That makes you happy.
9 The daughters of kings are among your visitors.
Your royal bride stands at your right hand.
She is wearing gold from Ophir.
Love
1 This is Solomon's most beautiful song.
The young woman:
2 Please kiss me with your lips!
Your love makes me happier than wine does.
3 You have put perfume on your body.
It has a lovely smell.
The sound of your name causes pleasure everywhere,
like sweet perfume.
All the young women love you!
4 Take me away with you. Come quickly.
I want the king to take me into his rooms.[a]
The woman's friends:[b]
We are very happy!
You make us happy.
We praise your love,
because it is better than wine.
The young woman:
I agree! The young women are right to praise you like that.
5 Young women of Jerusalem, my skin is dark but I am beautiful.[c]
My skin is dark, like the tents of Kedar.
It is beautiful, like the curtains of King Solomon's tent.
6 The sun has caused my skin to become dark.
Please do not look at me as if I am strange.
My brothers were angry with me.
They caused me to work outside in the sun.
I took care of the vineyards,
and I could not take care of my own vineyard, my body.
7 I love you, my dear one.[d]
Tell me where you take your sheep to eat grass.
Where will you take them to rest at midday?
I do not want to look for you everywhere
among the sheep of your friends.
They might not understand what I am doing.
The man and the woman praise each other
The young man:
8 You are the most beautiful woman of all.
If you do not know where to find me,
follow the marks from the feet of my sheep.
Take your young goats to eat grass
among the tents of the shepherds.
9 My dear friend, you are very beautiful.
You seem to me like a beautiful horse that pulls one of Pharaoh's chariots.
10 Your face is beautiful with jewels.
A necklace makes your neck beautiful too.
11 We will use gold to make ear rings for you,
and we will add pieces of silver.
The young woman:[e]
12 While the king was eating a meal,
the sweet smell of my perfume was in the air.
13 My lover is like a bag of myrrh
that lies between my breasts.
14 He is like a group of henna flowers
that grow in the vineyards at En Gedi.[f]
The young man:
15 My dear friend, I see that you are very beautiful!
Yes, you are beautiful
and your eyes are like doves.
The young woman:
16 My lover, I see that you are very handsome!
Yes, you are lovely!
This field of fresh, green grass is our comfortable bed.
17 The cedar trees above us are the beams of our bedroom.[g]
The pine trees cover us like a roof.
James says ‘Hello’
1 This letter is from me, James. I am a servant of God and the Lord Jesus Christ.[a]
I am writing to the 12 tribes of God's people who live in many different parts of the world. I say ‘hello’ to all of you.[b]
What to do when you have troubles
2 My Christian friends, remember to be happy, even when many kinds of trouble happen to you. Troubles can help you. 3 God wants to see if you really trust him. Your faith in God will become stronger as a result of these troubles. 4 So you should continue to trust God all the time. Then you will become stronger as a believer. You will become completely how you should be. You will not need anything more.
5 But maybe you need to know how to be wise. Then ask God to help you. He is ready to give everyone what they need. And he never says that it is wrong to ask. So God will help you to be wise. 6 But when you ask God for something, you must trust him completely. Do not have other ideas in your mind. People who are not sure that God will help them are like the waves in the sea. The wind blows the water one way and then it blows the water another way. 7-8 A person who is like that never knows what to do. He has many ideas in his mind. He should not think that he will receive anything from the Lord.
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